Gatekeepers 21:Unknown Variables
by Wild Goose 01
Summary: What if Kageyama was able to get more Gatekeepers to help out? An AU take on GK21...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is my very first GK 21 story, and also only the third fanfiction I have done. After watching GK 21 a few nights ago, I had these ideas for a fic and they wouldn't go away, and so I decided to put them down. Keep in mind that this is a "What if?" kind of story, and should not be taken to represent cannon. Think of it as an Alternate Universe fic. Any feedback is welcome, as are reviews, criticisms and flames. On to da fic!

Disclaimer: Gatekeepers 21 is intellectual property of Studio GONZO and Kenji Gotoh's team.

Authors's note 2: Some of the dialogue is actually from GK21, and may be somewhat inaccurate as a result of the poor translation that I have (I don't have a region 1 DVD player, so I had to buy the Malaysia Edition VCD). If anyone finds any mistakes, gomen nasai, and I'd appreciate it you could tell me what's wrong so I can fix it. Oh, and this fic picks off during episode 4.

**Gatekeepers 21: Unknown Variables**

  


**By Wild Goose**

**_Chapter 1: Adding To The Mix_**

"Extra reinforcements?" asked Ayane Isuzu, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the three faces on her computer screen. "Jack Douglas, Thomas Chung and Aaron Moore. I thought Tachikawa was already enough?"

"About Tachikawa and them, it's a question of numbers," replied Kageyama Reiji, prominent businessman, and head of the AEGIS Network Japan. "The numbers of Invaders in Tokyo are rising. It must be very tedious for you to handle them alone." He paused to adjust his sunglasses, before adding, "These Gatekeepers are very talented."

"When will they arrive?" asked Ayane, not really caring that much. _I hope they don't keep trying to talk to me like Tachikawa. That girl is quite annoying._

"If everything goes smoothly, they should be here tomorrow."

"What about me?"

"I told you before," began Kageyama, reaching to pet her hair, "you are special-"

"Iie, wakatta," said Ayane, walking off before he could ruffle her hair.

"By the way, have you made up with that girl, Miu Manadzru? You haven't been together lately."

"Made up? We were never friends from the beginning," replied Ayane quietly, her back turned to Kageyama, who looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Ja ne."

"Ayane," he called. "Don't overwork yourself."

She paused in her steps, and turned around to face him. "It has been a while since you last called my name," she said softly, before running off, leaving Kageyama alone with his thoughts.

* * * * *

The next day…

"Why doesn't she listen to me or talk to me?" groaned Satoka Tachikawa in frustration as she walked to the apartment she was staying in. "Every time I want to talk to her, she disappears. Kuso!"

The Gatekeeper sighed loudly and decided to think of brighter things, instead of pondering about Ms. Isuzu's dislike for human contact. _Hey, maybe I'll have to go and hunt more invaders tonight. Yeah, that wouldn't be so bad. They're weaker than the ones in Kobe, so I could probably get at least 100000 yen tonight_…

Cheering up slightly, the teenaged Gatekeeper decided to go out for a walk in the park, in an attempt to enjoy nature while the peace lasted.

* * * * *

"Hey Jack, where are we, you imbecile errokappa?" asked a petulant voice irritatedly.

The object of his ire, a young dark-skinned man wearing glasses sighed, as he consulted for the umpteenth time the map of Tokyo on his AEGIS laptop. It would ordinarily been an easy job to head for Kageyama's base of operations and report in, he thought, except for the fact that they were lost. Right now he was trying to figure out where they were.

"I thick we're near the equivalent of Central Park," he said, looking at the map with a frown. "I'm not quite sure, maps aren't my strong point."

"What on earth _is_ your strong point?" muttered his companion, a teen with a mop of unruly brown hair, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans and a brown leather jacket. "You're really useless at this sort of stuff," he added in a Canadian accent. 

"Fine Aaron, then _you_ do the navigation!" retorted Jack, removing his oval-shaped glasses and rubbing his eyes. "At least I could ask for directions from passing police officers, unlike you, who only speaks English and knows how to curse in French!"

"Hey, my Japanese isn't that bad!"

"No, you're right, it's worse!"

"Damare! Stop arguing," said the third member of the group, a tall Chinese man wearing rectangle-shaped glasses, black pants and a black trenchcoat, shaking his head as he leaned on the side of their car. "At least we're alive."

"Thomas is right. Besides, as a last resort, all we need to do is wait for the Invaders to show up, take them down, and then make contact with the AEGIS Network Japan," said Jack, snapping the laptop's cover closed and handing it to Aaron, lounging in the back seat. He walked towards the driver's seat on the right side of his white Toyota Supra, getting in and pulling on a pair of black fingerless gloves. "Get in guys. Let's find a McDonald's and buy some burgers."

"Stow it," said Aaron, his voice suddenly urgent. "I'm picking a massive reading on the IPW, it's big! Located at the park. Transferring data to nav terminal."

"Let's go," said the trenchcoated man, sliding into the front passenger seat, as Aaron buckled himself in the back and began rummaging through a pile of Imitation Gate Cellphones while typing furiously on his laptop.

"Buckle in Thomas, Aaron," said Jack as the car pulled away from the curb, and on to the highway, speeding away. "What's that IPW read?"

"Very high…oh shit, we have Invader signatures right behind us!"

"Damn," muttered Jack, gripping the wheel tighter. "Okay, let's do it! Hang on!"

The Supra revved up and surged forward, as the cars behind it transformed into their Invader forms, firing away with their cannons. Jack gritted his teeth as he skillfully maneuvered the car through the hail of energy blasts, as the Invaders began catching up on them. "Come on," he snarled, "you think you can hit me? I street race every week in my Supra, your pathetic driving skills are nothing! Aaron, mine attack, now!"

"Ready to drop mines!" called Aaron, tapping commands into the laptop. "Imitation Explosion Gate ready!"

"Do it!" ordered Jack, as Thomas glanced worriedly in the rearview mirror. "They're catching up on us," he commented, looking at the digital map display mounted on the dashboard. "Our turn-off point is four hundred meters away, and then we're in the city."

"Aaron! Hurry up, bakasaru!"

"Mines away!" shouted Aaron as he unwound the window and tossed out a few cellphones at intervals of several seconds. "Bombing now!" he called, as he typed in the final command and pressed the key.

**TARGET AQUIRED. EXPLOSION GATE.**  
**GATE - OPEN.**

The Gate Cellphones glowed in the night as the Invader cars raced over them. The invaders were intent on catching their prey, and so were caught unawares as the cellphones detonated one by one, the explosive force sweeping through the Invader ranks and ripping them apart. Jack nodded appreciatively as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "Nice work, Ace."

"Yeah, good job Aaron," seconded Thomas, nodding quietly.

"Well, I _am_ a genius, right?"

Blank stares and raised eyebrows greeted him.

"Never mind."

* * * * *

At that time, Satoka and Ayane were confronting Akuma Hakushaku, as he tried to pierce the box-like shelter made by the Imitation Gate Cellphones, the gold energy barrier the only thing between the two Gatekeepers and Akuma's acidic vines.

"It can't stand for too long this way!" exclaimed Satoka, moving to stand back to back with Ayane, typing rapidly on her laptop.

"There is no way to escape. 11 handsets left. The Gate to heaven will be opened."

"You can't give up, you're a third-level AEGIS Invader Hunter. If the imitation doesn't work but the real one does, open the Gate of Whirlwind, quickly!"

"I don't intend to use it."

"What?!?!?!"

"I hate it."

"Still want to mention this now, bakaryo?!" shrieked Satoka, beads of sweat sliding down her face.

"It is almost done," proclaimed Akuma, as the barrier flickered wildly and cracks began to appear all over its translucent golden surface.

"Don't block the way, move aside if you don't want to do anything," shouted Satoka, pointing her giant sword at Akuma's plant like body. "I will not lose," she said quietly, "definitely cannot. I DEFINITELY CANNOT LOSE!" she shouted, raising her sword and preparing to strike.

"Urusai," muttered Ayane, typing on her laptop, as Satoka skidded to a stop. Her teeth were clenched and she was shaking. Satoka could hear her bell ring. Before Ayane could take any action, a new voice suddenly began singing in a clear tenor voice, just loud enough for all of them to hear:

_I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"  
I just feel love forever and more  
Only to you, I'm sending my heartbeat so far away…  
_ Akuma turned his head to see the cause of the distraction. Facing him from his left was a dark-skinned man wearing gray combat pants, black hiking boots, an olive-drab T-shirt and black leather jacket with bulging pockets. Short black hair covered his head, a single lock of it falling over his left eye, his glasses glinting. His cellphone was held extended in his right hand, its golden energy shield protecting him. "Konbahwa, Akuma Hakushaku," he said brightly, a smile on his face. "Nice to see you're looking uglier than your photos in the archive, kisama."

"How dare you insult me, Jack Douglas!" roared Akuma, his vine-tentacles loosening their grip and reaching out towards him. The gatekeeper merely dropped the cellphone, letting its shield protect him as he drew a Berretta M92FS from a holster under his black jacket, pointing it at the tentacles, and fired. Golden bullets flashed out from his gun, impacting on the vines, which spewed acid as the bullets passed through them.

"Didn't you know that my arms and legs are filled with acid that can liquefy humans? Your attempts at resistance are pitiful," laughed Akuma scornfully.

"Thanks for letting me know," replied Jack, a big grin on his face as he jumped back, throwing another cellphone in front of him. "But acid is a liquid, and fire turns liquids into vapor! Gate Open!" he shouted, as the cellphone activated the imitation Gate of Red Fire...and was promptly squashed by Akuma. "Shit," was all that Jack could utter, stunned. _Time for my other cards_…

"Is that all you can do? Reiji was mistaken is calling you here," murmured Ayane, typing on the laptop.

"Damare, anta baka-onna! If you'd use your own Gate, this wouldn't be happening," growled Jack, as he began running, trying to dodge the vines. 

"Is that all? I was expecting something more," chuckled Akuma, just as a silver flash of light impacted right next to his brain. "Nani?!"

"You gotta love that horny demon," said a brown-haired youth, holding a Colt M4A1 carbine, an imitation Life Gate cellphone dangling from a chain around his neck, as smoke rose from his weapon. "Hey, you old guy!" he shouted at Akuma in English. "You look like shit!"

Just as Akuma was about to answer, an orange-red blast of energy landed in his back, exploding painfully, and creating a great deal of smoke. Behind him, the last of the new Gatekeepers, also wearing a Gate cellphone on a chain around his neck smirked as smoke wafted from his shotgun. "How do you like the Gate of Shockwave? It's time to die, Akuma!"

"Fools," shouted Akuma, as more vines shot out from his body, "I will crush you all!"

"Look out!" shouted Jack, as the three Gatekeepers simultaneously dropped another three cellphones each, creating the same energy barrier that was shielding Ayana and Satoka. The vines wrapped around the all shielded Gatekeepers, squeezing and trying to crush them.

"Now what?" shouted Aaron to Jack.

"I DON"T KNOW! GO ASK YOUR MOTHER!" screamed Jack back, as he fumbled through his pockets. "Okay, if we're gonna exit the stage, let's go out in style. Shinigami's going to take Akuma with him on his journey to hell! Program the phones for Fire and Explosion. When I give the signal, activate them, unless Miss Hurricane here has-"

"URUSAI!" shouted Ayane, shaking with fury. She pushed Satoka out of the way, as her eyes glowed with cyan swirls. "Gate…Open!" she shouted, unleashing a large three-ringed Gate. The Whirlwind power was so strong that it threw everyone back, even breaking through the Imitation Gates shields. Satoka drove "Dragon Slayer" into the ground, using it as a wedge, as the three young men grabbed hold of anything they could to stay on the ground. The brown-haired youth drew a katana from under his coat and used it as a piton, holding onto it with both hands, as the wind kept blowing. Both of his companions drew combat knives, driving them into the ground, trying not to get blown away. 

Ayane ran up to Akuma, casting her right hand forward, screaming "SHINKU MISAIRU!", unleashing a dozen energy projectiles that impacted deeply into Akuma body. He screamed in pain, moving backwards and drawing his claws back in an attempt to shield against further injury as Satoka grinned predatorily. "Too late!" she shouted, as she jumped up and through the gap, slicing deep into the tree-body of Akuma, chopping his head in half. The Invader Executive split through the middle, falling into two pieces before turning into a mass of crystals that rained down on them.

"The awe-inspiring Satoka Tachikawa slash!" proclaimed Satoka, as the crystals began landing down on the ground. She stood up, grinning as she hefted her sword onto her shoulder, before returning it into her Gate. "How about that?" she said, smiling with professional pride. She walked over to the three Gatekeepers, who were doing their best to act cool about things. "I'm Satoka Tachikawa. Who are you?"

"So you're the Gatekeeper of the Gate of Tearing," said the dark-skinned man, speaking in fluent Japanese. "Hajimemashite. I'm Jack Douglas, AEGIS Network KL, and these are my partners."

"Hi," said the brown-haired youth, smiling brightly. "I'm Aaron Moore, electronics and blitz attack specialist, and may I say that I'd like to get to know - oof!"

"Focus, focus, Aaron," smiled Jack, putting his left arm around Aaron and squeezing his left shoulder, triggering four pain points simultaneously. The trenchcoated shotgun-wielder sighed, shaking his head. "I'm Thomas Chung. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"And of course, meeting the legendary Invader Hunter, Ayane Isuzu," remarked Jack, proffering his hand to Ayane. "I'm-"

"Jack Douglas, age 19, Gate Ability Gate of Life. Blood Type O Positive. Member of the AEGIS Network Kuala Lumpur Section since 1999. Proficient in the use of firearms as anti-Invader weapons, can use Gate to heal, generate shields or as an offensive attack."

"Not bad," remarked Jack, putting his hands into his jacket pockets and looking at Ayane appraisingly, causing her to have to look up to him since he was taller than Satoka. "Tell me, do you ever talk to people instead of at them?"

Ayane ignored him, instead looking over the details on the other two Gatekeepers. "Thomas Chung, age 19, Gate Ability Gate of Explosion. Blood Type B Positive. Member of the AEGIS Network Kuala Lumpur Section since 1999. Gate Ability allows him to create explosions. Uses firearms to channel his attacks.

"Aaron Moore, age 17, Gate Ability Gate of Time and Space. Blood Type AB Positive. Member of the AEGIS Network Kuala Lumpur Section since 2000. Gate ability allows him to teleport and slow time via manipulation of the time-space fabric."

"Well, it looks like you know a lot about us and our abilities, Isuzu-san," said Thomas quietly, looking at her speculatively. "I-"

What he was going to say would never be found put because a shout broke the stillness of the night.

"Are you gonna stand there or pick crystals?" called Aaron, scooping crystals into a bag, as was Satoka.

"No," replied Jack and Thomas together. "We did not kill Akuma."

"I saw that," remarked Satoka, examining the crystals as she picked them up. "The Gate of Whirlwind, very great. The most powerful Gate abilities are Lightning, Explosion, Curve and Whirlwind. But the way I see it, there is no strategy in them at all." 

"Who needs strategy?" interrupted Aaron, filling his plastic bag carefully.

"That's because there is no correlation between during and after the battle," continued Satoka, as if she hadn't heard him. "Hey, are you listening to me?" she asked, turning to face Ayane.

Ayana was not there. "Mataka!" she shrieked, waving her right hand around, as Jack Douglas instinctively crouched, lowering his head.

"She left a short while ago," commented Thomas as he looked towards a street across the road. "She seem to like being alone."

"Well, I'm going to pick more crystals," said Satoka, as she used one of her blades as a giant rake to sweep up the crystals into a large pile.

"HEY! THAT'S CHEATING!" roared Aaron, as the silence of the night was broken again by a more ominous sound…

…A gunshot.

_To be continued…_

Translations of Japanese words: 

Bakasaru: "Stupid monkey".  
Bakaryo: "Idiot" (stronger form than simply "Baka").  
Damare: "Shut up".  
Errokappa: "Stupid horny water monster".  
Iie wakatta: "No, I understand".  
Hajimemashite: "How do you do/nice to meet you", used when meeting for the first time.  
Ja ne: "Bye". Informal method of saying farewell.   
Kisama: The rudest insult you can say to someone in Japanese (sort of like "bastard").  
Konbahwa: "Good evening".  
Kuso: "Damn".  
Mataka: "She's disappeared".  
Urusai: Literally, "You are very noisy", can also mean "Shut up".

Author: Well, that's it for my first GK21 fic. So, whaddya think? Please give reviews and comments on any aspect of the story. On a side note, Satoka's big sword that she carries around really is called "Dragon Slayer" (found it on a GK21 fansite…), and that song Jack was singing is "Rhythm Emotion International Version" by TWO-MIX, one of the greatest J-POP/Techno outfits in the world… but I digress. As for the title, "Why Unknown Variables?" you may ask. Well, that's because when you add something that is unknown into a situation (in this case, Gatekeepers who have never been to Japan before), you can never predict what will happen simply because you don't know what they'll do. Well, it looks like the new kids on the block are off to a rocky start. What adventures await them and the Tokyo Gatekeepers? Stay tuned! 

And now, an Omake (bonus scene):

"Well, it looks like you know a lot about us and our abilities, Isuzu-san," said Thomas quietly, looking at her speculatively. "I-"

What he was going to say would never be found out because a shout broke the stillness of the night.

"Hey, those are MY crystals!" shouted Aaron, glaring at Satoka and lunging towards her.

"Finders keepers!" grinned Satoka, sticking her tongue out at him and rushing to collect more crystals. "Besides, I was the on that killed Akuma! You only pissed him off! So there!"

"Well, if you weren't so cute, I'd cut you up with my katana!"

"Oh yeah? Let's see how it can stand up to my sword!" retorted Satoka, her blue eyes glinting dangerously.

"You're on, pretty girl!" shouted Aaron, pulling off his coat and drawing his blade. "Gate Open!" he shouted, as a silver Gate appeared in front of him.

"Gate Open!" shouted Satoka, drawing Dragon Slayer and charging at Aaron. Just before their blades met…

"YAMERO!" _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Both of them stopped to look at Jack, who was holding his gun and now pointing it in their general direction. "There's enough crystals to go around. Now play nice."

"But-" began Aaron.

_BANG!_ A bullet imbedded itself into the rusting wreck that was once Ayane's motor-scooter, just three inches away from severing Aaron's foot.

"Oh look," said Jack in an artificially bright voice, his eyes glowing and a wide, maniacal grin plastered on his face, "I missed! Oops!" he continued grinning as he turned around and fell to the floor, dazed. Aaron and Satoka turned around to see Thomas carrying a vacuum cleaner, sucking up all of the crystals, and promptly face-faulted.

There it is. Till next time, bye! 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: And so here we have the second chapter of Unknown Variables. It's been fun writing this story, and now let's just get on to it. 

Disclaimer: All thanks and praise be to Gonzo for creating GK 21, which I am only borrowing for artistic use.

_**Chapter 2: Meeting on a bad day**_

A young girl walked down the street, lost in her thoughts. She was dressed in the uniform of Tategami High School, wearing glasses, carrying a laptop in the crook of her arm when suddenly, out of nowhere… 

_BANG!_

Ayane Isuzu lurched forward as the bullet plowed into her side, her laptop flying forward. She hit the ground hard, breaking her glasses, as her laptop landed a few feet away. Her hand trembled as she tried to reach for her bell, a pool of her blood rapidly expanding onto the street.

The last thing she saw was a pair of black boots step next to her bell.

"Mission complete," intoned the Invader, as it vanished.

* * * * *

"What was that?" gasped Satoka, as the sound of the gunshot reached the four Gatekeepers in the park. Her eyes glowed as she drew one of her smaller blades, ready for action.

"It came in the direction of Ayane," replied Thomas, chambering his shotgun and running towards the sound. "Come on!"

"Hang on a sec. Gate open! Time Freeze!" shouted Aaron, opening a silver gate. The Gate shone brightly, as suddenly the surroundings became still.

"What happened?" asked Satoka, as they began running to the scene.

"Aaron froze time. We're now moving outside of time. For everyone else, time is progressing at its normal pace but for us, we're actually moving faster than time itself, which means…oh forget it! Time travel gives me a headache." Jack sighed and drew his Berretta, cocking it and slipping the safety off.

The foursome rounded the bend and burst onto the street as the effects of the time-freeze wore off and time resumed. Satoka saw Ayane fall forward and would have rushed towards her but Jack yanked her back, hissing savagely, "Do you want to get killed? That's a classic trap! A sniper takes out one person, and then as the rest of the team try to rescue their friend, he kills them all one by one!" He peeked around the corner, his blood pumping, as Satoka looked at him in shock. Beside him, Thomas was keeping an alert eye, covering their backs, as Aaron typed furiously on his laptop.

"I can't get an IPW read, they might, or might not have a sniper out there." He looked up at Jack. "You're going in blind."

"Right," agreed Jack grimly, as he tensed. "You guys cover me, I'll make pickup and bring her back, okay? Let's roll!"

With that he rolled to his right, his gun coming up, eyes scanning the dark for any hidden snipers, although his mind told him that he probably wouldn't be able to notice them until they shot him. He ran towards Ayane, quickening his steps when he saw the rapidly expanding pool of blood seeping out from under her school uniform. _Shit_, he thought, _not again_.

Behind him, Aaron and Thomas fanned out, weapons at the ready, Aaron scanning the area with the M4A1's infrared scope, Thomas holding out his shotgun aggressively. They turned and ran to Jack, kneeling in defensive crouches. "How is she?" asked Thomas, worry evident in his voice.

"Bad," replied Jack grimly, drawing his knife. "We need to do emergency first aid. Aaron, teleport and get the car, I need my field kit."

"It's here," replied Aaron, reaching into his Matrix-style coat and removing a large, green-on-black plastic toolbox, handing it to Jack, who nodded in thanks.

"Satoka, I need a knife, one with a smaller blade than my combat knife. I'll need it to dig the bullet out."

"Here," said Satoka, handing him one of her throwing knives.

"Perfect. Thomas, I need a couple of the phones set up, turn on a recovery phone and arch it over, I need light to work by."

Jack pulled his jacket off, flipped the box's catches and opened his first aid kit. Satoka drew a breath at the size of it and the contents. "This is almost an ambulance!" she exclaimed.

"Quiet!" hissed Jack, slipping on a pair of surgical gloves before he carefully rolled Ayane on her side and began speaking rapidly to himself as he worked. "Patient is gunshot victim. Bullet entered right abdominal cavity, did not penetrate fully or sever spinal cord - thank God for small favors. Am now beginning treatment - somebody pass me that gauze, gotta stop the bleeding." He cursed softly as he cut away the lower half of Ayane's shirt, wincing at the amount of blood flowing out. Jack shook his head and removed a large amount of gauze pads. "Damn. Gotta stop the bleeding…okay, Satoka, congratulations, you've just been promoted to nurse. Put a pair of gloves on and put the gauze dressings on the wound, keep the blood from flowing out." He reached into the toolbox again and removed a small cup, which he poured disinfectant into and sloshed the knife around. _Okay Jack, stand and deliver_…

He leaned over and nodded approvingly. Satoka was applying pressure to the wound, slowing the flow of blood, while Aaron had frozen time again, allowing him to work without worrying about eyewitnesses. Silently he was relieved that Ayane was unconscious. He'd only done this once before, and it had hurt like hell. Nudging Satoka to the side, carefully holding the knife in his hand, he made a careful incision with the throwing knife, and plunged in, moving it in deeper until the tip of the knife touched the bullet. Carefully he dug it out, and deposited it on the street, looking back at Ayane who was still bleeding, albeit more slowly._ Oh shit, I took too long_, was his horrified thought as her lips began to turn blue and her pulse became weak. His eyes glowed, and he summoned his power.

"Gate Open! Light of Life!"

A two-ringed Gate formed above Ayane's still form, and a golden light washed over her, repairing the damage caused by the bullet and healing her cuts. Jack slumped down to his knees, careful not to wallow in the blood, and exhaled loudly and tiredly. "There. It is finished. Please call Mr. Kageyama, and could somebody help to pack…up…"

With a thud, he collapsed to the ground, as Thomas and Aaron carefully lifted Ayane into the backseat of the car and Satoka dialed Reiji Kageyama's number.

* * * * *

"How is she?" asked Aaron, sipping the cup of tea that Kageyama had provided. They were sitting in the living room of the penthouse accommodations where Kageyama lived, which also doubled as his base of operations.

"The doctors say she's put of the danger zone, but she's in a coma. We don't know when she'll recover, even with the use of the Gate of Life and the imitation Recovery Gates." He paused for a moment, as his eyes narrowed. "Does your friend know how serious his use of his Gate is?"

"He knows," nodded Thomas, as his gaze rested on the still-unconscious form of Jack Douglas, draped over a chair. "But he feels it's worth it, if he can save someone else. He was a member of the Malaysian Red Crescent, so he feels very strongly about saving people."

"This also has something to do with the reason he calls himself Shinigami, the God of Death," remarked Aaron. "He feels that everyone who comes into contact with him dies, and if he has the chance to save them, he has to take it, no matter what the cost to him. Even if it means he dies."

The sound of yawning alerted them to the fact that Jack was coming to. He gazed around the room groggily, muttering "Where are my glasses - can't see a thing - how do they expect me to work, where's Ayane- " suddenly, that thought woke him up fully and he jumped to his feet, reaching under his jacket for his gun, pointing it around. 

"WHERE'S AYANE? WHO TOOK HER?" he thundered, pointing the gun at all three of them (Satoka having gone home a long time ago). 

"She's in the next room sleeping. You really are an idiot," muttered Aaron, not bothering to look up from his tea.

"Oh," said Jack, lowering his gun and looking sheepish. "Sorry."

"We haven't been introduced," said Kageyama, rising to his feet. "Hajimemashte. Watashi wa namae no Kageyama Reiji desu."[1]

"Hajimemashte, watashi wa namae no Jack Douglas desu,[2]" replied Jack in a subdued tone, looking very tired. "Is she alright?"

"Yes," replied Kageyama. "It's almost midnight. Do you know where you're supposed to stay?"

"No. Not really," replied Jack, yawning involuntarily.

"Well, you can stay here for tonight then," replied Kageyama.

"We have sleeping bags, so we can just sleep on the floor," offered Aaron. "I think it would be a good idea to have someone watching over Ayane, just in case she wakes up."

"I'll take care of that. Get some sleep", said Kageyama as he left to check on Ayane. 

"Let's get the sleeping bags rolled out then," said Thomas, as he looked at Jack. "Jack? Jack?!"

Jack was leaning back on that chair, fast asleep.

"Lazy-good-for-nothing-useless-errokappa," growled Thomas.

"I'll second that," agreed Aaron, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

* * * * *

"And now we have some new students today. Class, I'd like you to meet the overseas exchange students, Jack Douglas, Aaron Moore and Thomas Chung. Please make them feel at ease and help them with anything f they are unsure of. Alright, that's it for today. Class is dismissed."

With that, class 2-B left for home, the students chatting noisily. Miu was about to walk off with Chinami and Naoko when a hand fell on her shoulder, stopping her from leaving. She turned around in surprise to see a tall dark-skinned man, wearing a black leather jacket, white dress shirt, navy-blue tie, dark dress pants and black boots, his glasses glinting as he looked at her with a serious expression. "Could you spare me a minute? I need to talk to you," he said, light reflecting off the sliver badge on his right collar.

"Hey, Miu's coming with us! Don't disturb her," complained Chinami, a frown on her face. "And why do you wear that stupid badge on your collar? That's so unfashionable."

"That's right," agreed Naoko, as the three of them walked off. Jack sighed and pushed his glasses above his eyebrows, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Seems girls everywhere hate me," he commented, a crooked grin on his face.

"We can just follow them," remarked Thomas. "I heard them saying something about going to an arcade."

"Yeah, and they said something about playing those lame dancing games," muttered Aaron, his face in a frown as he examined his laptop. "Oh well, we get a legitimate excuse to get into an arcade and play! Let's go!" he shouted, snapping his laptop closed and putting it into his bag.

"I have a bad feeling about this," muttered Jack to himself, gingerly feeling his wallet.

* * * * *

Jack's premonition was right on the money, so to speak.

"Jack! I need more tokens!"

Jack groaned and walked back to the counter, putting down another 2000-yen note and getting some more 100-yen coins. He stalked towards Aaron, who was having a delirious time shooting up everything in a Mobile Suit Gundam game, and hitting everything except his opponent.

"Can't you shoot faster?" he grumbled, feeling his wallet become lighter.

"This thing's hard, dammit!" growled Aaron, as he desperately tried maneuvering his gray-and-purple Dom out of the way of the white Gundam. "I thought you said the Dom's a good robot?"

"Well, yeah, the MS-09 Dom has better speed than the RX-78-2 Gundam, and its main weapon is a nasty 250mm hyper bazooka, but if you do a head-on attack the Gundam wins, any day. How many times have you lost?"

"Ten. In a row. Over and over again."

"Lemme guess, you ran out of ammo for the hyper bazooka, right?"

Aaron's glare told him all he needed to know.

"Here, step aside," ordered Jack, getting into the seat and inserting several coins. He selected the Dom, and was not surprised to see the familiar shape of Amoru Ray's Gundam staring back at him. He gritted his teeth, and moved the twin joysticks forward.

"You see, the trick here is to attack from the right side, where the Gundam's shield can't protect it. That leaves you open to the beam rifle though, so what you need to do is move fast and fire, like THIS!"

The white Gundam reeled back as the bazooka round impacted squarely on its right side, damaging it. Jack smiled the smile of a predator as he evaded the next blast of beam rifle fire. 

"Now, your Dom is outfitted with bombs, so all you need to do after that is jump over him and drop them-" as he began a bombing run, dropping several bombs which damaged the Gundam "-and keep in the air or far away, or else he'll-"

_SCHRACK! SCHRACK! SCHRACK!_ "-Cut you up with that beam saber," finished Jack, sighing as he moved away, glancing at the damage meter. The Gundam was at 80% damage, as was the Dom, and both mobile suits were now facing each other. Jack gritted his teeth and fired a shot at the Gundam, which evaded, right into the path of another bazooka round, impacting squarely on its chest.

"Keep moving around in circles past the Gundam. The Dom's greatest asset is its high speed, so you need to strafe him from the side, not attack from dead center, okay?" instructed Jack as he slipped out from the seat.

"Fine," grumbled Aaron as he took over the controls.

Jack looked around the arcade. They had been there for the past hour, carefully following Miu and her friends. In that time, he had gone through 6000 yen, equivalent to 50 US dollars, and his wallet was feeling quite light. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for potential Invaders. _I think I'm becoming a sort of bounty hunter_, he thought wryly.

"Hungry?" asked Thomas in a low voice, standing next to him.

"Not really. Do you think now would be a good time to separate her from her friends?" asked Jack as he pushed his hands into his jacket pockets.

"You know how girls are," shrugged Thomas, eyes darting over to where Naoko was now trying to catch the Gebha doll. "I can't say. You were the one with the girlfriend."

"You had a sister," commented Jack quietly, his gaze focused on the long-haired girls with her friends.

"Once."

"Once," repeated Jack, both of them lost in past memories.

"Hey Jack, I need more coins!"

"Well, we might as well enjoy ourselves," remarked Thomas, as he walked over to the House of the Dead terminal and inserted a few coins. "Care to join me?"

"Of course. _Someone_ needs to watch your back."

* * * * *

"Bye Chinami, Nao-chan!" called Miu as she waved goodbye to them.

"Bye Miu! Don't be late tomorrow!"

"I won't!" she called back, a smile on her face as she turned to enter her apartment building…and walked right into a large obstacle. "Aaah!" she exclaimed, falling backwards.

"Are you alright?" asked a gentle voice.

Miu looked up to see the new student who had tried to talk to her earlier that day. His left hand was extended towards her, a soft smile on his face as he leaned down, grasping her hand and helping her up. "You should watch where you're going, Miu-chan," he said, with just a touch of amusement.

"Who- who are you?" she gasped, slightly dazed.

"I'm Jack Douglas." He smiled, and reached into his jacket, removing a dark-blue card and handing it to her. "I'm an AEGIS Invader Hunter, Gatekeeper of the Gate of Life."

Shock filled Miu's face, as she involuntarily took a step back. "B-b-but you don't understand! I've quit from being a Gatekeeper!"

"You can't quit from being a Gatekeeper," said Jack, shaking his head, his smile replaced by a serious look. "You're born a Gatekeeper, and you die a Gatekeeper."

"But I don't want to fight! I don't want to kill!" she cried, shaking. "Isuzu-san told me that the Invaders were once humans, so that means that when we kill then, we're killing our fellow humans!"

Jack let out a long breath and nodded slowly. "It's okay, I'm not going to try and recruit you. I just wanted to talk about some stuff."

"About what?" she asked warily.

"Did you know that Ayane got shot last night?"

"What?!" she asked, her eyes wide as saucers. "Isuzu-san was shot? Would that hurt?"

"She nearly died," continued Jack, his face grim. "She was shot through the gut. She was very lucky that the bullet missed her internal organs, but she would have bled to death if I hadn't been there." He paused for a moment, his eyes hard…yet at the same time moist. "My Gate has the ability to heal wounds and injuries, so I used it to heal her. It's just a damn shame that I couldn't use it to help the people who needed it the most." He laughed, a short, harsh bark filled with bitterness.

Miu just gazed quietly at him, a stunned expression on her face, as she saw the polite young man's façade fall away, replaced with the look of someone who had been through hell and back…and didn't care.

"My family," began Jack, "was killed by the Invaders, and they were the most important thing to me. You see this badge?" he asked, fingering the badge on his collar. "That was my Dad's police collar badge. He was everything to me. My hero, my teacher, my friend.

"He was a Chief Inspector in the Royal Malaysian Police. Well-respected, liked by everyone, a great dad." Jack paused, swallowing. "He'd take me to the firing range, show me how to use a gun, teach me self-defense so that after bullies punched me, I could nail them back. He also had this car, a Toyota Supra. In the weekends we'd get together and fix it up, tweak the engine, make it go really fast." He smiled, in spite of himself, and sighed. "Then the Invaders came. I was downtown, going to buy some computer parts. I'd bumped into him there, so we went for lunch together, and then we bumped into my mom, who'd gone out with her friends, and so there was this big gathering. And then the Invaders showed up."

**[Flashback]**

_Jack Douglas walked down Jalan Imbi, humming softly to himself. For his first year in college, things were progressing well, with the exception that he had to live in a hostel since his house was too far away to commute. "I miss Mom and Dad," he said softly to himself, just as a hand clapped down on his shoulder, startling him. "Ahck!"_

"You're still like this? I thought you had improved a bit," remarked a deep voice with amusement evident in it.

"Dad?! What are you doing here? I didn't expect to meet you here on a Saturday," said Jack, trying to get over his surprise at seeing his father there.

Chief Inspector William Douglas of the Royal Malaysian Police, Criminal Investigation Department, smiled as he regarded his son. "I had a few days off, so I took them. I've been out with your mum shopping. Want to join us for lunch?"

"Sure."

"By the way, what are you doing here?" asked his father.

"I just needed to pickup some computer parts. Some of my friends' computers crashed, so I decided to help them out." Jack grinned brightly as he added, "they're also paying me for any costs I incur, so it's a pretty good deal. I need to get out from time to time, or so they say."

"Come on, let's go and find your mum," smiled his father.

**[End Flashback]**

"There was a police patrol on the streets…they were the first to go down. The Invaders just opened up on everyone, firing everywhere. Dad pulls his gun, pushes us all back, and goes off to the fight. One of the cops gets shot, falls beside me, so I pick his gun and ammo and chase after Dad. He got in a few shots at the Invaders before they blew him up. Mom tried to run towards him. She made it to his side just before the Invaders shot her and she collapsed. I was shooting at them when I saw them lying there on the ground."

**[Flashback]**

_"Get down! It's not safe!" yelled Dad, as he drew his gun from under his jacket, chambering a round._

"What are you doing?" yelled his wife. "You'll be killed!"

"Maybe, but I took an oath to serve and protect, not to be coddled and sheltered. I have to go," he insisted, as he peeked around the corner, before kissing her and taking off, his left hand reaching into his pocket and fingering his good-luck charm, his police collar badge.

Jack looked around. The street had exploded into chaos. Gray-skinned humanoids like something from a science fiction movie walked into the street, cannons from their chest firing purple pulses of explosive energy everywhere. Jack gasped as the body of a police officer fell by his feet, his chest smoking. Jack slowly reached down and picked up the officer's gun, a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, the kind issued to street cops. He checked the gun, noticing that it was fully loaded, and removed the officer's ammo, figuring he would need it soon.

"Sorry," he whispered, "but I can't let my Dad go in there without backup. I'll try and make it up to you." He leaned around the side of a car, spotting a group of the Invaders, and aimed carefully, just the way his father had thought him, and fired.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bullets hit the Invaders, sending several of them to the floor. He noted with surprise that they turned into crystals when they died, but shrugged it off and kept firing. Jack was so focused on the task at hand, he didn't notice that the bullets left golden trails as they arched away towards the invaders. Just then, Jack turned and saw a sight that made his blood run cold.

His father. Lying on the street, blood poling out in a puddle around him.

Time seemed to slow for him. He saw his mother run towards his father, only to get shot as she reached his side, falling to the ground. Jack's mind became blinded by emotion, as he uttered a primal roar and began firing wildly…

**[End Flashback]**

"Go…gomen, I-I didn't know," stammered Miu, shaking nervously, as she looked at him with a feeling of sadness in her heart.

"I know," said Jack. "But Miu, you can't walk away from this. Sooner or later you'll have to face them. I'm a Gatekeeper, and so are you. If we don't fight, you see what happens. Two years ago it was my parents. Last night it was Isuzu. Tomorrow it could be someone you love or care about who's hurt. It could be Chinami or Naoko. Think about it, Miu-chan," said Jack grimly, as he turned and left. "Good night."

* * * * *

"That went well," remarked Thomas as he looked at him worriedly from the driver's seat. "Are you okay?"

"I think I will be," sighed Jack, removing his glasses and massaging his temples, eyes screwed shut. "I don't feel up to driving."

"Don't worry, I'll take over. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Hey, you know me. Just give me some curry, and like all Indians I'll be good as new."

"I don't recommend it. The curry here stinks. Let's go to McDonalds." 

"Sure, Aaron," answered Thomas and Jack, Jack, because he was feeling to depressed to argue, and Thomas because he was too tired from tailing Miu all over town.

"Yes!" exclaimed Aaron, before asking, "Jack, did you take your medication?"

"I thought you packed it?"

Aaron swore and fumbled around in his coat, removing a bottle of pills and handing it to Jack, who accepted it and swallowed two of the pills. He leaned back and sighed deeply.

"Stop sighing, or I'll kill you," growled Aaron, looking up at the ceiling. "The things I have to do for you…"

"Hey, it's not my fault your coat has unlimited storage space!"

"I'm going to go out and think for a bit," said Aaron suddenly, stepping out. "Don't bother waiting at the apartment for me, but I wouldn't mind if you left some food back, okay?"

"Sure, we'll leave you some pizza. That okay?"

"It's fine," replied Aaron, not really listening, as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat and walked off, his laptop in a knapsack slung on his back.

* * * * *

Unnoticed by the casual observer, there was a figure watching them, gazing from above.

"How fun it is to play with these humans," laughed Yuurei Shoujo (Ghost Girl), as she looked at the retreating forms of Miu and the green Supra. "It's so fun! Soon," she whispered excitedly. "Very soon…"

"You shouldn't spy on people y'know," drawled a voice behind her. She spun around to see Aaron, wearing a long black Matrix-style overcoat that was flapping in the breeze, a hard look on his face, standing on a building a few feet away. "It's very bad manners."

"How did you get here?" asked Yuurei Shoujo, before answering herself, "Oh, you can use your Gate like Yukino to teleport. How clever."

"Yeah, well think of this as a warning. Leave, and I won't kill you." Aaron's eyes hardened as he continued to stare at Yuurei Shoujo. "You've caused a lot of grief in this world, SP03. One of my friends was hurt badly by you. He suffers from nightmares every night, he has to take Valium and Diazepam every day, and not a day goes by that he doesn't think of what he's lost. He hides it well under a cheerful, polite façade, be I can see his pain." He paused for a moment, before continuing, "Just call it quits and leave."

"I can't do-"

_Click!_

"I'm warning you Ghost Girl," repeated Aaron, his pistol steady in his hand, "Leave us now and die or something. Just disappear."

Yuurei Shoujo merely laughed and vanished as Aaron stood there for a while, glaring off into space. "Damn bitch," he muttered sullenly. "I hate these laughing blondes."

"The world does not conform to your wants or desires, Aaron Moore," said a soft voice.

"Shut up Yukino. I'm not in the mood for any of this philosophy bullshit," snapped Aaron testily, as his tone softened. "All I want is for the fighting to stop so my friends can live in peace."

He drew a breath and sighed, continuing to gaze out at the night, as Yukino sat beside him in companionable silence…which was broken by the sound of a soft beeping emitted from his backpack. He reached inside and removed his laptop, snapping it open, his eyes narrowing at the message displayed:

**IPW ACTIVE...  
INVADER ENERGIES DETECTED.  
RANGE – 400M.  
BEARING – 154.  
LARGE NUMBER – ESTIMATED PLATOON-SIZE.**

"Evil never sleeps," grumbled Aaron as he replaced his laptop and drew his rifle from inside his coat. He attached the sniper scope to the M4A1, slapped a clip in, and chambered the rifle, setting it to single-shot mode. Picking up his backpack, he slung it over his shoulders, standing up purposely. "G'night Yukino-chan," he called, actually smiling at her. "Enjoy yourself. I'm going hunting."

* * * * *

  


_To be continued…_

* * * * *

  
Notes:

A few things I wanted to mention on the suffixes and forms of address, since they may be confusing to people who are new to anime and Japanese (I know it confused the hell out of ME +_+) so here goes:

"-chan" suffixes are used as terms of endearment and affection among family members and friends (e.g. Saemi referring to her niece Ayane as "Ayane-chan"; Miu calling Naoko "Nao-chan"). "-chan" can also be used for people who are younger than you, e.g. Shun calling Kaoru "Kaoru-chan".

"-san" suffixes are the Japanese equivalent to Mr./Mrs./Ms. (more or less), i.e. Kageyama-san : Mr. Kageyama. However, -san is also used for people who are older than you, or your peers that you aren't really that close with (e.g. Miu addressing Ayane as "Isuzu-san", or the Chief in "You're Under Arrest" addressing Natsumi as "Tsujimoto-san"). Note that most of the time, the person's surname is used, however, there are exceptions.

"-kun" is used mainly for guys, and follows the object's surname, e.g. Hisoka Kurosaki of "Yuma no Matsuei" is referred to as "Kurosaki-kun". It's a familiar way of addressing someone by their surname, for instance, "Hey, Nakajima-kun!" becomes "Hey, Nakajima!" on a side note, although –kun has been used mainly for guys, and following the person's surname, Ohgami in Sakura Wars refers to Sakura as "Sakura-kun" (but I think that's an exception rather than the rule).

As to why Aaron can pull so much stuff from his coat, there's actually a reason for it. His Gate is the Gate of Time and Space, so that means that he can create pocket universes or at least twist time-space fabric to make extra storage space.

Translations:  
[1] Nice to meet you, my name is Reiji Kageyama.  
[2] Nice to meet you, my name is Jack Doug;as. 

So, how is it? Any reviews or comments can be sent to wild_goose_05@yahoo.com, and if you have any ideas, why not send them in as well? Anyway, that's all for now. Bye!

P.S. Please check out my other Gatekeepers story!

And now, an omake:

"G'night Yukino-chan," called Aaron, waving back to Yukino, smiling. Just before he teleported, he leaned down, seized by an impulse, and gently kissed Yukino on the cheek. Her eyes went wide, and both of them blushed as he retreated, caught by surprise.

"Sorry," apologized Aaron, embarrassment evident on his face "I-I didn't know what came over me…" he sighed, and stood. "I'd better be going."

"Wait," said Yukino, in her soft voice. She reached up, and and kissed him back, on the lips, a longer one than just now. She looked up into his eyes. "That was….nice," she said, her violet eyes shining. "Can we do it again?"

As the two of them drew closer, Hisame discreetly scurried off, thinking to himself that it was about time Yukino had some romance in her life…

* * * * *

Okay, I know it's crazy, stupid, and probably wouldn't work in real life or in a fic unless you put in a lot of work, but damn! Yukino's just so cute! ^_^ Anyway, this is Wild Goose, signing off! Bye! 


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Well, I finally got Chapter 3 up, so don't come after me with pitchforks people! Hehehe…^_^ Anyways, I've been busy getting ready for my exams which start next Monday, so I won't be updating for a while (damn! Law and Economics again!) Anyway, please read, and if you liked it, review or email me and tell me what you think. Hell, even if you hate it, just tell me anyway!

Disclaimer: Gatekeepers 21 are the copyrighted and intellectual property of GONZO and Kenji Gotoh's team. Jack Douglas, Aaron Moore, and Thomas Chung are my creations, and if you wanna use them, you'd better ask first, okay? Now on to da fic! ^_^

**Chapter 3: Memories**

"Well, I'm home," muttered Aaron tiredly to himself as he stepped into the dark apartment. "Nice to see the guys left some food," he added, as he kicked his shoes off, unslung his backpack and walked towards the dining table, where a large-sized box of pizza was placed. Moving closer, he noticed a note lying on top of the box, illuminated by a small reading lamp. As he removed his overcoat, one sleeve at a time, and rubbed his eyes, Aaron glanced at the note.

_"Hey Ace, sorry we couldn't wait for you, but we were both worn out – met some nasties on the way back. Got a large supreme for you from Pizza Hut. Enjoy!" ~ Jack_

"I'll need to make a reminder to be nicer to him," muttered Aaron tiredly, as he yawned and draped his overcoat over the couch. Picking up the box of pizza he placed it in the microwave and set the timer for two minutes, as he went back to his backpack and removed his laptop. Ever since he had started using computers at the age of eleven, he had a habit of writing his journal on his laptop before sleeping, regardless of the time. Exhaling deeply, he yawned yet again, booted up Word, and began to type. His stomach growled, reminding him that he was hungry and tired, since it was already 1:23 a.m.

As he kept typing, the microwave dinged, signaling that the pizza was done. He got up and took the box out of the oven, and set it on the table, letting it cool. Returning to his computer, he finished typing, and then took the pizza outside to the balcony. A gentle wind brushed through his hair as Aaron munched on the pizza, enjoying the flavors and the night sky. _It's too bad it can't always be like this_, he thought. Despite being tired, he was on an emotional high, having taken out roughly a hundred Invaders very quickly and efficiently.

"Then again, when I can teleport and freeze time, it wasn't really that fair," he mused, before the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk. "Nah, I'll take any advantage I can-"

"Who's there? Show yourself!" demanded a voice behind him. Aaron dropped the pizza and spun around, as his eyes glowed with silver light. Time literally slowed as he reached to the holster behind his back and drew his Glock .40 pistol, hearing the distinctive sound of a Gate being opened. As he brought up the gun in a crouch, rolling to the side, time resumed its normal pace, just as his brain identified the Gate and its user.

"Jack? What are you doing, damnit?" growled Aaron, his aim steady, breathing a sigh of relief.

Jack blinked several times, recognizing Aaron, before lowering his arm and extinguishing his Gate. "Oh, sorry Ace," he said, rubbing his eyes, "I had a bad night. Didn't really sleep well."

"The same dream?" asked Aaron, his eyebrow raised in a Vulcan-like gesture as he holstered his pistol.

"Yeah," affirmed Jack tiredly. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot and drained. "I woke up, so I went to splash some water on my face when I saw a pair of red eyes gazing at me and a voice giggling. I followed the eyes out on to where I saw you. That's when I opened my Gate."

"Was this before or after you washed your face?" queried Aaron, his tone betraying his skepticism. "And you're not wearing your glasses. I don't think you really saw anything that was there – I'm not denying that you saw something, it's just that probably because of your dream it affected your imagination and you saw things. You're becoming too paranoid," he concluded, gazing at Jack with a concerned expression on his face. "Besides, how could you tell if something was really there if you weren't wearing your glasses?"

"Oh, yeah," replied Jack, his expression one of realization, smacking his forehead. One could almost see the light bulb appearing over his head. "I guess I really am an idiot, eh?"

"Go to sleep," replied Aaron firmly but gently, pushing Jon to his room, making sure that he went back to bed before proceeding to clear the remains of the pizza and lock up the apartment. As he locked the balcony door, a nagging feeling came over him, one that gave him second thoughts about Jack's story.

Yuurei Shoujo had red eyes, and had giggled constantly when Aaron confronted her.

Granted, it was probably a long shot, but as he closed the door to his room, Aaron made sure that his gun was within easy reach in case of an emergency.

After all, night was when humans were most vulnerable.

* * * * *

"Hey Miu, are you okay? You seem a bit quiet today," remarked Chinami as she looked over at her. "What's the matter?"

Miu's only response was to continue staring out the window. To a casual observer, she looked as if she was lost in thought, at which a Tategami student would snort at how ridiculous that idea was, considering Miu's well-known reputation for being a scatterbrain.

"Miu," repeated Chinami more forcefully, "What's the matter?"

"Huh?" replied Miu, startled, as she spun around to face Chinami. The sudden movement caused her body to lurch to the side, and she lost her balance, toppling over in a heap on the floor. Both Chinami and Naoko sweatdropped at the sight of their klutzy friend as she picked herself up.

"Miu, what's wrong with you today?" asked Naoko worriedly. "Normally you're cheerful and carefree, but today you look so sad and tired."

"It's nothing," replied Miu sadly, gazing out the window. "Isuzu-san was shot a few days ago."

"What does that have to do with us? I know you've been hanging out with her, but still-"

"Rise, bow, sit," intoned the class representative as the teacher came in and the lesson began.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the class…

"Look, we made it on time," said Jack in a stern tone to his friends as they settled into class 2-B.

"Was it really necessary to engage the NOS?" asked Thomas, groaning and looking green. "I don't really like having my breakfast tossed all over my stomach like that. This is Tokyo, not some rally course, for goodness sake!" He had good reason to feel upset. Jack's engaging of the Nitrous-Oxide System installed in his car had propelled it at breakneck speed through the streets of Tokyo, and it was a near miracle that they hadn't been involved in an accident, arrested or both. He gave another shuddering groan and moaned, "Next time, could you please not use it unless it's necessary?" 

"But it was fun, right?" suggested Jack, ignoring his friend's discomfort. "Besides, it was necessary! If I didn't engage the NOS, we wouldn't have gotten here on time! Be a bit more grateful!"

Aaron sighed and smacked his forehead, as the pigtailed class rep came over to them, a frown on her face. "Was that your car?" she asked in a disapproving tone, her twin brown pigtails swaying slightly.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Jack, a neutral look on his face. "It's mine."

"School regulations forbid students to park their cars in the school grounds," replied the class rep in a strict voice, her freckled face creased in a frown of annoyance. "Please don't do that again, or I'll have you sent to detention."

"Hai, hai, Inchou," replied Jack, putting both hands up, just as the teacher came in. "Gomen." He yawned widely, letting out a deep sigh, as he removed his glasses and massaged his temples.

"Rise, bow, sit," intoned the class rep, as the teacher reached the desk.

"Good morning class," said the teacher as he returned their bow. "Now, today we are going to continue our examination of the verses found in your books, so please take out your poetry books and we will continue from where we left off yesterday…"

_This is boring_, thought Aaron sourly to himself. _As if any of this wasn't enough, we have to do poetry! I'm getting really fed up with it! What the hell is all this useless stuff supposed to mean anyway?_ He sighed and looked out the window, letting his mind wander around the busy streets of Tokyo (figuratively, that is). 

"Don't worry," muttered Thomas, reading his mind, "Jack's pretty good with literature. We'll be okay." 

_*THUD!*_

"We're doomed," muttered Aaron despairingly, at the sight of Jack's head connecting with the hard surface of his desk. For all purposes, he was out for the count. "Who said we didn't have to worry?" he asked, looking pointedly at Thomas.

"I guess I forgot to take into account his hobby of sleeping in class," grinned Thomas sheepishly, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Idiot," muttered Aaron. Beside him, Jack stirred slightly.

"Urusai," he mumbled. "Pay attention to the front, saru."

"Hey, I'm not a monkey!" hissed Aaron.

"This could have been a really peaceful day," sighed Thomas in resignation, as he glanced at his watch. His eyes widened as he saw the date, suddenly realizing that today was the date of something important.

"Damn," he muttered, as the teacher droned on and on, while Aaron continued daydreaming, oblivious to what was happening around him, his thoughts on a certain girl dressed in white…

* * * * *

Later in the afternoon…

"What' wrong with you, man?" asked Aaron, looking at Jack in confusion. "You're normally happy-go-lucky, never-say-die…"

"Die," muttered Jack in a monotone, walking away from school to his car.

Aaron's eyebrows merged together in a frown, as he regarded Jack. "You were bright and cheery yesterday. What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I don't want to talk about it! Come on, I want to get away from here!" growled Jack, stalking off. "Hurry up or I'll leave you behind!"

"But Jack," began Thomas.

"Move it or I'll shoot you!" growled Jack, glaring at them before resuming his stalk.

"Jack!" 

"What?!?!?!" he snarled, his eyes blazing with fury, his hand reaching under his jacket for his gun, which wasn't there but in the glove compartment of his Supra.

"The car's that other way," remarked Thomas, pointing behind them.

"Oh." Jack stood there, stunned for a moment, turned, and blinked several times. True to what Thomas had said, the green Toyota Supra was in the opposite direction from where he was headed. Grumbling under his breath in annoyance, he stalked off to his car…this time, heading in the right direction.

"What's with him?" asked Aaron, glancing curiously at Jack.

"You know that his family was killed by the Invaders, right?"

"Yeah, that much I knew. There's more, right?" asked Aaron, looking pointedly at Thomas.

"Yes," confirmed Thomas, nodding sadly. "But it's not my place to talk about it. When he's ready, he'll tell you."

"If you two perverts are done gossiping about me behind my back, then get moving! Hurry up! Before I leave you behind!"

"How did you know?" queried Thomas, his rectangular glasses glinting mischievously, a small smile on his face.

"I sneezed. _Get in_," ordered Jack, his eyes and cold as ice (well, almost), as a vein on his forehead throbbed violently. 

"I ain't getting in the same car as a maniac pervert," retorted Aaron, putting his hands up. "Can't Thomas drive?"

"This is _my_ car, so if you want to ride in it you'll follow _MY_ rules. I drive, unless I give permission for someone else to drive. And if you want to walk all over Tokyo today, be my guest. Otherwise, get in."

"Well, I have Tom on my side," began Aaron smugly. "Hey, what're you doing, Tom?"

"Get in Aaron," called Thomas, already seated in the front passenger seat, smiling at a stunned Aaron. "We don't want to leave you behind, now would we?"

Just then, Aaron's laptop began beeping from inside his knapsack. Retrieving the device, his eyes went wide, as he said, "Guys we have a large spike on the IPW meter, strength is 150 units, on the Ginza highway."

"Get in," ordered Jack, starting the car, Thomas leaning the seat forward to allow Aaron to get in the back. "On the Ginza highway, you said?"

"No, Timbuktoo, _of course_ I said Ginza!"

"Urusai, bakasaru. Start tracking that piece of scum. Thomas, get your guns, they're in the glove compartment with my Berretta. Ace, begin formulating strategies to take that thing down, and program a few cellphones just in case. Keep an eye on our rear." As the green Supra moved, off, it was as if Jack had undergone a transformation. His black mood had been shaken off, and gone was his usual cheery smile. Instead, there was now a cold and calculating man at the wheel of their car.

As the Supra entered the highway, they began catching up to the Invader signature. Aaron leaned forward and tapped Jack on the shoulder. "Jack, the target's moving at a pretty high speed, 120 klicks per hour. My guess is that it's probably a truck of some sort, roughly three tons or more."

"I can see it, called Thomas unnecessarily, as the shape of a truck loomed in front of them. Behind them, Aaron saw a reflection in the mirror and looked back, sighing. "Oh shit, we have company."

"Blast 'em," grunted Jack tersely, as the truck began to speed up. "Damn, we aren't going fast enough."

"You want me to blow up the police?" asked Aaron incredulously.

"Why not?" asked Jack, before chuckling softly, albeit maniacally. "No, not really, but the look on your face was priceless…"

_Well, he's starting to come back to normal_, thought Thomas and Aaron simultaneously. Of course, their definition of normal _was_ a bit unusual, but still…

"ATTENTION! TO THE CAR IN FRONT, PLEASE LEAVE IMMEDIATELY! YOU ARE INTERFERING WITH A POLICE MATTER!" boomed Daichi Hashimoto's voice from a loudspeaker, as several police cars approached them.

"That Invader is speeding up," murmured Thomas, watching it slowly outpace them. "What about the police?"

Jack grinned a feral grin, one that immediately caused Aaron and Thomas to buckle in and hold on tight, having seen such an expression before. Jack reached under his seat, flicking several switches, before flipping open the tiny cover on the steering wheel. A deceptively small red button nestled under his thumb, waiting to be pressed.

He pressed it. "Nitro on!" he shouted, his frown of concentration breaking for a few seconds to show the glee of a child with a new toy. Immediately the car shot forwards with an explosive lurch, outrunning the police cars in seconds. Aaron opened a small case next to him, removing a MAC-10 sub machinegun. Slapping a clip in place, he drew the bolt back, before taking another MAC-10 and handing it to Thomas. They both rolled down the left-side windows as Jack smoothly moved to the right side of the road, coming up right next to the Invader truck. As the truck came into view the two of them fired, Aaron with hollowpoint rounds, and Thomas with his Gate-enhanced rounds. The hail of bullets smashed into the sides of the truck, scoring multiple hits all over, Thomas' bullets exploding inside and severely damaging the truck, while Aaron shot out the tires on the back, causing the truck to crash. Jack expertly swerved and made a 180-degree turn, bringing the Supra to face the Invader, which was now a smoking wreck. Invaders stepped out of the truck and from the road, as several cars also drove up, surrounding the Gatekeepers, who stepped out of the car, Aaron and Thomas holding their MAC-10s at the ready and Jack drawing his M92FS with his eyes steely. "Well, it looks like we're in a Mexican standoff," he said evenly, peering at the Invaders. "Any last regrets?"

"I met this girl last night who's so pretty and it's a shame I won't be able to see her anymore," remarked Aaron, a wistful smile on his face.

"I meant the Invaders, dumb-ass," replied Jack scathingly. "Alright, the first seventy on the front are mine, you guys can take the rest. Let's do it." Lowering the pistol, he looked at the Invader horde, which, as one, drew their coats open to reveal their machinecannons. "Gate Open!"

A golden ball of energy formed, enveloping his outstretched left hand, before he raised his hand and brought it down in a flinging motion. The basketball sized packet of energy flew towards the Invaders, impacting into their formation and releasing a blast that vaporized half of them. While most Gatekeepers of the Gate of Life used a bow and arrow for the Arrow of Light attack, arrows could be deflected, and Jack wasn't very good with a bow and arrow anyway. This was his alternative: focusing Gate energy into a packed ball of light and then flinging it into the Invader formations. It was reasonably accurate, as a result of him throwing a lot of things at annoying cousins, and quite deadly. 

As Jack continued sending his gold death into their midst, Aaron programmed two cellphones and threw them forward, before reloading his MAC-10 and returning fire. As the Invaders fired back at him and Thomas, one of the cellphones activated, bringing up a golden energy shield, while the other sent out a high-energy surge of fire at the Invaders. The red flames flowed all over them, destroying them in short notice, as Aaron glanced down at his laptop. "Only twenty more. Let's get 'em!" he shouted, firing away until his ammo was expended. He reached into his coat, pulling out another cellphone. Programming it for Lighting, he pressed the buttons, and was about to throw it forward when it beeped and a message flashed across the screen: **LOW BATTERY. PLEASE RECHARGE.**

Aaron stared at the screen in shock, his eyes blinking in disbelief. He dropped the cellphone and reached into his coat again, his eyes widening. _Damn, I forgot to stock up on phones_, he thought, as he dropped the MAC-10 and the cellphone, reaching for his pistol tucked in the small of his back. As he brought it up, he almost had his head blown off, energy projectiles narrowly missing him. Rolling to the side, away from Jack's car, he stood, aiming at the Invaders, the red dot of his laser sight dancing over their chests. As the Invaders' fire tracked him, his eyes briefly glowed. As he used his powers to slow time, the Invaders' bullets whistled past him, slowed and slowed, allowing him to carefully evade all the shots fired at him and fire back. Drawing a katana from a sheath at his back, he charged at the Invaders, easily dodging their shots or deflecting them.

To Thomas' perspective, it was as if Aaron was moving unbelievably fast, dodging the bullets with lightning-fast speed, appearing behind the Invaders as half of the Invaders suddenly fell apart in pieces. He blinked, shrugged mentally, and switched to his H&K USP Match .45s, firing two-handedly. His red-orange Gate appeared before his, and his bullets glowed as they passed through the twin rings of light. He grinned as he delivered explosive death to the Invaders, imagining the bounty they'd collect.

Behind them, Jack was facing the last remaining Invader, his lips parted in a grim smirk. The Invader had somehow managed to survive his energy blasts, but was sprawled on the road, next to a car that it was trying to reach. Jack walked closer, coming to a stop between the Invader and the car. Drawing his pistol, he looked into the Invader's sunglasses, carefully aiming for the head. "You have been found guilty of the crime of surrendering your identity and betraying the human race. This court sentences you to execution, effective immediately." Before the invader could raise a finger, Jack fired once, sending a 9mm bullet to lodge in the Invaders brain. Groaning, the Invader shuddered and shattered, leaving a glowing crystal. Jack picked it up, and turned around, his hand glowing. Throwing another energy ball into the car's engine, he turned and walked away. Behind him the car exploded, lighting up the sky. He looked at his two comrades, silencing them with a hard look. "Let's go," ," he said, getting into the car, in a tone that forbade any argument. Aaron and Thomas quickly picked up the crystal and got in. The green Supra took off immediately, driving off into the sunset, leaving the wreckage behind it for the police to find. 

* * * * *

"Where's Jack?" asked Thomas, walking into the living room. After the battle with the Invaders on the highway, Jack had gone to get their bounty from Kageyama, and then had driven them all back to their apartment. They had ordered pizza, and now Aaron was watching TV, flipping channels, bored out of his mind. 

"He went into his room," responded Aaron, his expression lifting slightly. "Oh, look, it's a rerun of Endless Waltz." On screen Heero Yuy had launched in a one-man pod, chasing after the form of Wing Zero, as the Mariemaia Army's Serpent-class mobile suits landed in Brussels to the sounds of TWO-MIX's Last Impression. "Haven't seen this one for a long time," remarked Aaron, just as Jack came out of the room.

"Aaron, please change the channel," he said, a slight note of distress in his voice.

"Why? The only other thing to watch is Sailor Moon R, and I'm not watching _that_," retorted Aaron, shuddering.

"Change the channel please," repeated Jack, his eyes hard. Aaron locked gazes with him, and then finally gave in, switching the channel. "Happy now?"

"Thank you," replied Jack, walking outside to the balcony with an acoustic guitar under his arm, sliding the glass door shut behind him. Thomas looked at his retreating back, and sighed. Aaron scowled, changing the channel back. "What's with him?" he grumbled, muttering curses in Quebec French. "I thought he liked Gundam Wing?"

"Up to a point. Actually, it was the song that bothered him," replied Thomas, facing Aaron. "Do you know why he gets so depressed and unstable around this time of year?"

"I didn't notice, but now that you mentioned it, he was like this last year," replied Aaron, his brows furrowed.

"This isn't really my place to tell you, but you need to know so I'm breaking a few rules. You know that Jack's family was killed by the Invaders, but what you don't know is that he also had a girlfriend."

"That pompous oaf had a girlfriend?" asked Aaron. "I never thought it was possible."

"Yes, well anyway he did have a girlfriend and he really fell hard for her. But he almost snapped one day because of her."

"What happened? The Invaders killed her?"

"No, but close. She was turned into an Invader."

Aaron's jaw fell down, his eyes wide in shock. Having your family killed by Invaders was one thing, but having someone you cared about twisted into one of the things that you swore to fought…Aaron shook his head slowly, beginning to understand. "So that's why Jack has this grudge against the Invaders?" he asked, remembering how Jack would always hunt down Invaders mercilessly.

"That's not all. Jack was forced to kill her when she transformed and tried to attack him. The worst part of this was, this was barely six months after his parents died, so he was still emotionally fragile. Stephanie – that's her name, by the way – helped him a lot during this time, but seeing her transformed into an Invader and then attack him, that was almost more than he could bear."

"How did that happen?"

"Well, from what I know of it, Jack took her out to dinner, and was walking her home when they ran into a group of Invaders. Jack pushed her back, and was about to open his Gate when he heard a hissing noise. He turned, saw her transform, and lost it. Newspaper reports the next day said that a fifteen-foot wide crater was blown into the ground, and that there was damage all over the park-"

"Park?"

"The lake gardens, it's a very beautiful place to go at night, very romantic. Anyway, the damage was estimated to be at least 500 000 US Dollars, which is about 2 million of our money."

Aaron whistled softly, and said, "So this is the anniversary of her death?" 

Thomas nodded, saying, "That's why I try to keep an eye on Jack during this time. The reason he wanted you to switch the channel was because the song that was on, "Last Impression", was her favorite song."

"Maybe we should check on him," said Aaron slowly, getting up and walking to the balcony door. Opening it a fraction of an inch, he listened as the sounds of Jack's guitar traveled to his left ear. Jack strummed his guitar softly, playing slowly, as he sang quietly, his music giving a sad aura.

_Kawaita kaze ga fuku_ (A dry breeze is blowing)  
_Machi wa kogoete-iru_ (The city is getting cold)  
_Ikutsu no kisetsu ga sotto oto mo naku_ (I wonder how many seasons have passed)  
_Sugisatta no darou_ (Without even a sound?)

_Yukikau hito wa mina_ (All of the people coming and going)  
_Omoi nimotsu seotte_ (bear heavy burdens,)  
_Tooku ni yureru kagerou naka ni _ (searching for tomorrow)  
_Ashita wo mitsukeru _ (within the heat haze wavering in the distance)

_Kono te wo koboreochiru_ (Feelings like sand)  
_Suna no youna kanjou _ (falling through my hands...)  
_Ano toki mune ni sasatta_ (Back then, the words that pierced my heart)  
_Kotoba ga fui ni uzuku kedo_ (suddenly started to throb with pain, but...)

_Hatenai yoru wa kazoe nagara_ (I've searched for pieces of myself,)  
_Jibun no kakera sagashite-ita_ (counting the endless nights all the while.)  
_Ushinau hodo ni kono omoi ga_ (These feelings are becoming so certain)  
_Tashika ni natte 'ku_ (I almost lose myself.)  
_Ima nara kitto aruite yukeru doko made mo_ (Right now, without fail, I will walk forward, however far.)

"_'Alone'_," whispered Thomas. "He plays it so much I think it's becoming his image song."

"I wonder why," remarked Aaron, without his usual sarcasm.

"He probably identifies with Hakkai," replied Thomas, as Jack finished the second verse and chorus and was now playing an instrumental. The pitch rose and the tempo sped up, rising from the slow, sad mood of the first verses reaching a climax:

_kanarazu tadoritsukeru hazu_… (I will reach it, without fail...)

_Hatenai yoru wa kazoe nagara_ (I've searched for pieces of myself,)  
_Jibun no kakera sagashite-ita_ (counting the endless nights all the while.)  
_Ushinau hodo ni kono omoi ga _ (These feelings are becoming so certain)  
_Tashika ni natte 'ku_ (I almost lose myself.)  
_Ima nara kitto aruite yukeru doko made mo_ (Right now, without fail, I will walk forward, however far.)

Jack played the last bars of the song, the pace slowing as he repeated the introduction, and played the last few notes. Sighing, he closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, and unslung the guitar. He stood there for a few minutes, before opening the sliding door…causing Thomas and Aaron to crash against him at his feet. He raised his eyebrows, looking at them silently. "Well, any comments about the song?" he asked quietly.

"Umm, you have a good voice?" asked Aaron.

"Yeah, much better than Ishida Akira," seconded Thomas nervously. 

Jack sighed deeply, shaking his head, saying, "I don't know why you two are eavesdropping on me, but if you wanted to hear me play the guitar, all you needed to do was just ask. Keep that in mind next time, okay?"

"Uh, right," responded the not-so-dynamic-duo, as Jack walked back to his room. Thomas sighed, and shrugged. "Well, he should be coming back to normal after this," he noted, watching Jack's retreating form. "He'll go and play that guitar and sing, and play a few more songs, and then he'll come back out. It's his way of dealing with stress."

"You know, I thought he might have something for Isuzu," murmured Aaron thoughtfully. "You think that's possible?"

"Knowing him, yes, but I don't think he'd want to enter another relationship right now. Besides, she's still in a coma."

"True. It _is_ kinda hard to go on a date with an unconscious person."

* * * * *

_(BMG:For Real Piano Ver.)_

Jack sighed and leaned against the wall, seated on the bed, his guitar beside him. In his hand he cradled an Invader crystal that glowed softly. He looked at it intently, imagining that he could see his dead girlfriend's face in its glow. _Long time no see, Steffi_, he thought. While intellectually he knew that Stephanie couldn't hear him, emotionally, he felt a little better if he thought he was communicating with her. 

"Well, it's been a while. I wonder how things are going on at your end. Having fun?" He paused, sighing and added, "I miss you, y'know. Life just isn't the same without you. I still feel bad about having to kill you…I saved your crystal. I've been keeping it with me ever since, as it's one of the few things I have to remember you by.

"I know that the Network's science people are researching a way to restore people back from their crystals, but so far I don't think they'll ever succeed. I miss you a lot, but I think you'd want me to go on with life right?" he chuckled softly despite himself, remembering. "If you were here right now, you'd probably punch me in the arm and tell me to quit moping, and then I'd retaliate by calling you un-cute, at which you'd punch me some more, both of us bickering like an old married couple." He paused, adding, "I miss that. I miss seeing you, your smile…"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really, really miss you, but then, you already knew that. Now I'm here in Japan, trying to stop the scum that turned you into an Invader. And then I arrive, I find a girl who nearly gets killed, and then I try to save her but it doesn't quite work out. Maybe I should have used my Gate earlier. Maybe I should have operated faster. Maybe… I don't know." He heaved a despondent sigh, continuing, "It's probably a good thing that I'm not Ryouga Hibiki, or else I'd have blasted about twenty Shi Shi Hodokan into the air by now. Anyway, I get this sense around that girl, y'know what I mean? That feeling of wanting to protect something so bad that you'd be willing to die for that person…funny, something just popped into my mind just now: Sanzo saying that he'd never die for anyone, and that he didn't want anyone to die for him." Jack paused again, his eyes glistening, as he continued, more slowly, "I wish I didn't have that choice to make. I always always said that if it came to me or them, I'd pick me anytime, but I never knew how much I'd hurt…the funny thing is, I don't seem to hurt so much anymore. Maybe it is time to move on; I don't know. What I do know is that I'll keep fighting to prevent anyone from going through this.

"Happy Birthday Steph, and remember that you'll always have a place in my heart."

Jack closed his eyes and leaned back, tears spilling out from behind his lidded eyes, as the crystal glowed softly, almost sadly. Sleep came soon to him…though it was far from peaceful.

From behind the door, Aaron and Thomas softly moved away, each caught up in his own thoughts.

* * * * *

Yuurei Shoujo laughed to herself as she watched the three Gatekeepers, and especially Jack, reveling in his pain. "Soon, all will come to a head," she said softly, "and I will create my city for my friend." She shifted her focus from Jack to Aaron, smiling as she began planning. "I wonder how I can play with his mind…"

"I will not let you hurt them," said Yukino's soft voice, with a trace of determination, as she materialized behind the ghost Gatekeeper.

"We will see, Yukino," smirked Yuurei Shoujo, before vanishing…

_* To be continued… *_

===============

Well, that wraps up Chapter 3 of Unknown Variables. This will also be my last update for the next several months, as it'll be holidays for me, wich means that I won't get to use my school's broadband line to upload, and I have a lousy 33.6k dialup connection. Oh well, at least during that time I'll be working hard on Chapter 4 (if I can fit it in between homework, revision, Japanese classes, visiting annoying relatives, guitar lessons…you get the idea).

In this fic, I'm trying to move away from the slapstick humor found in my other Gatekeepers story (it's in the Gatekeepers archive) into something a bit darker and more serious, as befits the Gatekeepers 21 theme. Why have Jack's girlfriend turned into an Invader? Well, all Gatekeepers have unhappy pasts, and so…ah, heck I just wanted to do some character hell, as per Yoshiyuki Tomino's Theory of Character Development: The way to develope your charecters is to give them hell to live through, preferbally by killing their parents and girlfriend. (Perhaps I have been watching too much Gundam…)

At any rate, more will come (I intend to finish this story), but how fast will be a bit finicky. Remember, if you want to see this fic going strong, please email me with comments! Or just moral support, if Strike Fiss hadn't had as much support as he did, the Eva community would not have had the chance to read Higher Learning…but I digress.

Before I close, special thanks go to black gargie, who endured some of the dialogue being read out, and Sorceress of Blades, who I've managed to become friends with, and who has just published the prologue of her own GK 21 fic. On a side note, I'd recommend Linkin Park's "Crawling" as an ending theme for this fic, as it fits the last few scenes (in fact, I was listening to it as I typed). "Alone" is sung by Shimokawa Mikuni, and is the 2nd End Theme for Gesoumaden Saiyuki, one of the anime that I'm obsessed with (Saiyuki fans will note a few references to that anime in here, as well as a cameo from Eva).

Well, that's it. This is the longest end note I've written, and I'd better get going. Bye! Nothin' but love! ^_^ BTW, I'm also going for surgery sometime in mid-November, so wish me luck! 


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